One and the same
by BBCRules95
Summary: Tony's past comes back to him, as he needs to take care of a member of his family, he didn't even know existed. The whole world finds itself in danger from terrorists and Iron Man will have to find the balance between his heart and mind. How is he going to cope? And will he manage it, before the bad guys blow anything up? Set between Iron Man 1/2. Possible Pepperony.
1. Chapter 1

**Having seen Iron Man and Iron Man 2 recently, I absolutely fell in love with the story. That's my first Ironman fanfic, so please don't be too harsh.**

**I think that Tony is a rather complicated character, so I will try to develop that a bit in the story. However, I'll make sure that those who look for action won't be disappointed as well. So, without any unnecessary speeches, chapter 1, there you go!**

Tony looked at his Hot Rod, full of pride. He finally managed to get the thing going, after weeks of hard work, calculations and changes. He never complained though, it was all fun. He got inside the car and turned on 'Highway to Hell' – he couldn't wait to speed down the motorway in his 'baby' and listen to his favourite band ever, on full volume. Could there be anything better than that?

His daydreaming was interrupted when Pepper entered the workshop, with a huge pile of papers in her hands. He could sense the storm coming.

'Look Tony, I'm not going to repeat myself for the 100th time, I need you to go through all that now and sign the papers from the folder here. You'd better get cracking, because in two hours' time, the Forbes people will be here, remember?' She was talking really quickly, and he could definitely tell she was stressed by the tone of her voice.

'No, I don't! Can you slow down please, cause I'm a bit…'

Apparently she couldn't. 'Then at 8.30 you're eating dinner with , regarding the deal about the…'

'PEPPER!' he interrupted.

'What?'

'Exactly: what?' He had difficulties following what she way saying, seeing that for the last couple of hours he'd been locked inside his own littler universe and the music was blasting loudly in the background.

'Just read the papers for now, . Ok? I'll be down in about an hour, we need to get you ready for that interview.'

'What interview?' She gave him a disapproving look.

'Just joking…Miss Potts.'

'I'm glad Mr. Stark.' She was about to leave the workshop, but having reminded herself of one more thing, she stopped in her tracks. When she looked around, Tony didn't seem to be thinking of getting down to work, he was pouring himself a glass of Scotch and humming 'Back in Black'.

'There's one more thing. We got a call from Peter Stark, he said there was quite a pressing issue he needed to discuss with you. That's scheduled for tomorrow's lunch. You'll meet him here.' Then she left the room without another word. She was getting sick of how irresponsible her boss could be.

'What would that old bastard want?' Tony said out loud and sat down in front of the huge pile of deals, reports and bills.

Tony looked at himself for the one last time before going downstairs. A graphite suit with a navy button-up with no tie. Not too formal and not too casual either. He didn't feel like he needed to look particularly fancy for his uncle he saw once in his whole life. He didn't even know what the man might want from him.

Peter went to a boarding school in England and he never returned to America. Having graduated from Cambridge with a degree in engineering and getting another one in business, he settled down with his own company in Britain. Tony read a couple of articles about him, but he was nowhere near as well off as his elder brother Howard. The two brothers got on all right, but the thousands of kilometers dividing them and constant pursuit of money meant, that there wasn't much time for family reunions, not that they cared much. Tony met Peter only once, but that was ages ago. They never kept in touch later. If Tony's own father didn't care about him, why would his uncle?

Having swept the gloomy memories aside, Stark went down the stairs into the spacious living room. The elder man was already sitting on the couch, flickering through the paper.

'Morning,' said Tony, unsure of how to greet his uncle. He couldn't believe how similar to Howard he was. His hair has only already turned grey in some places, but apart from that, he seemed to be an exact copy of his brother. Weird, Tony though, knowing that Peter was a couple of years younger than Howard. He looked very professional and stiff with his shirt buttoned up to the very top and a black, silk tie.

'Tony, how good to see you!' Wow, he didn't expect that.

'How are you doing, all right? My PA said it was urgent, can I…um, help with anything?' the young Stark tried to strike a conversation, but also get the meeting over with as soon as possible. The other man's face darkened.

'Well, apart from the fact that your aunt died last month, I'm fine. I've seen you've been doing great Tony. Howard would be proud.'

'Yeah…I suppose…' _Not really, _he thought to himself. 'I'm really sorry about your loss.' It sounded very artificial. 'Is there anything I can do to help?'

The elder man sighed and led Tony to the couch. He seemed to have made himself at home.

'You see, I have a son. He's 17 and well…' Peter definitely had trouble with asking. He always had all he wanted, so having to beg for a favour from a young brat like Tony was humiliating. 'Ok, it's the summer holidays now, so he can't be boarding at school. But I can't take care of him, I've got too much work and the tabloids have already been all over me, being a bad parent and all that. I can't just let him wander around with no one to look after him. You're my only remaining family, do you think you could spare him a room here? Just for that one month. I really wouldn't ask if I didn't have to.' The man didn't take a single breath throughout his monologue.

Tony could swear his mouth was wide open when his uncle finished talking. He could be many things: a scientist, a businessman, even a superhero, but a nanny?

'Well…I think I'm not the best material for a…' Tony started but was interrupted by the other man.

'I promise, he won't interrupt you with work. He'll just sit quietly in his room with a book. He's applying to university next year, so he needs to read a lot. He understands.'

'All right.' Tony mumbled. He suddenly felt as if he had a massive hangover again. What he had just said didn't make much sense. But could he really refuse? He knew what the poor boy had to feel like all the time: boarding school, busy father, no idea of what family life looks like. Tony could definitely think of another guy he knew REALLY well who'd gone through that. He took a deep breath and got himself together. 'Sure. He can come whenever he wants to. I can send my jet to get him right now, if you want me to.'

'Thank you so much Anthony. I don't know what I would do, if you had said no. You must know what it feels like to have those journalists breathing down your neck.' Tony couldn't resist smiling at the way the man spoke. He articulated every single syllable carefully, making sure his grammar was flawless. The British accent was another thing Tony though to be quite funny.

'It's fine. Oh God, let's be more cheerful. Fancy lunch uncle?'

'Yes indeed Anthony. It would be much appreciated.'

They sat down at the table and remained silent for the rest of the meal. Peter got what he wanted and Tony had a lot to think about. He felt as if he was eating with his father again. The man wasn't only physically similar to Howard. He also had that intimidating feel about him and a radiating sense of authority. Tony suddenly felt like a little, lonely boy again. As much as he was unsure about the prospect of having to look after his teenage cousin, he promised to himself that he would make the guy's life fun. At least for that month.

'I am telling you this is not going to work anyway. I'll get another plane or a bus or I'll swim across the Atlantic in my trunks. There's just no way I'm staying in America. Especially not with this big headed buffoon!' James Stark yelled at his father, standing in the lounge of Heathrow Airport. He knew his dad wasn't particularly affectionate towards him, especially since his mother died, but he couldn't bring himself to believe that he would go as far as sending him off 13 hours on a plane to stay with someone he never met in his life. Boarding school was alright, many people were there with him, making it fun, but that?

'It's just a month. And you'd better behave yourself. You could learn something from Anthony, you know. You're going to study engineering, so…' Peter didn't have a chance to finish, because he was interrupted by his son.

'Just don't start on that again. I am not studying engineering, right? No one can force me to, especially not you. Actually, a month away from you and this stupid company will be a blessing. Bye, just remember not to call.' Having said that James marched off towards the gate. California, New York, he realized that the further away from his father he was, the better. For both of them.

Pepper was surprised to find Tony In the living room at 7 a.m. Something had to be wrong. Every morning he went straight to his workshop with a cup of coffee and took pleasure in waking everyone up, playing his music at max volume. Now he was quiet and he was pacing. As if he was…nervous? _No, impossible,_ she thought. _Tony Stark doesn't get nervous._

'Are you all right?' she asked, while entering the room.

'I'm pacing.' He replied, without even turning around to face her.

'I can see that, but I asked whether…' she didn't get to finish the sentence, because her boss cut her off halfway through it.

'Oh my God, Pepper. When people pace, they're not all right, isn't it obvious?' he sighed. That was weird. He was childish, irresponsible and eccentric, but he never spoke to her in such a harsh manner. He must have realized he went out of line, because he sat down and poured Pepper a glass of juice. 'Sorry, I just think I'm doing something stupid. And stupid I am definitely not.'

'Not stupid at all Tony, just very modest.' She smiled at him. 'He's not going to bite you, you know. It's just a teenager. You were 17 once as well, remember? You weren't so troublesome, were you?'

'Well…' Now that he thought about it, he got even more dubious. Two cars smashed as he was showing off in front of the girls at MIT, hundreds of dollars spent on alcohol, followed by days in bed, fighting the massive hangovers. Not mentioning having numerous fights with his parents after his friends ruined the living room after a party. This uncertainty made Pepper smile again.

'OK, Iron man is scared of a boy. I should call Vanity Fair, you'd make the front page again.' She knew his pride wouldn't let him have that.

'Pepper, the plane is landing in half an hour. Get Happy and let's do this baby.'

James was listening to 'Highway to Hell' with his eyes closed. And on a highway to hell he was indeed. He felt a sudden jerk, and realized it was the plane hitting the ground. He looked out of the window, unsure of himself, but was relieved that in a couple of minutes he would be out of this metal can again.

James didn't bother taking his headphones off at passport control, nor when he was collecting his luggage, nor when he finally got out to the lounge. He knew someone would collect him at the airport, but he had no idea whom to expect. He just stood there in the middle of the yard, when suddenly someone slapped him on the back so hard, he nearly doubled. A quiet 'what the hell?' escaped his mouth, but then he turned around and saw the man, he recognized so well from magazine covers.

'Hi…Mr….um…Stark?, he said. He wasn't sure how to address the man. Tony was actually his cousin, but he was about twice as old as James, they had never met and he was supposed to be someone important.

'Oh James don't be so formal, it's Tony, right? All right buddy?' Tony decided to be his usual self. He had no problems with speaking in public, giving interviews, so he wouldn't get intimidated by a kid.

'Yeah, I guess. Thanks… Tony.' In the meantime, a tall man in a dark suit picked his bags and started heading towards the exit. James run up to him immediately. 'Forget it, I'll carry them, I'm fine.' But the man ignored him.

'Oh, I see you've already made friends with Happy. He's my driver, go on, jump into the car.'

Tony was relieved, the 175 cm in red Chuck Taylors and a leather jacket didn't seem to be that scary at all. James was surprised as well. He expected a stiff businessman in a suit – a younger copy of his dad. Instead, he got a relatively normal guy, with quite a decent Rolls Royce as well. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as they expected it to?

**How was it? Did you enjoy it? Anything that you'd like me to change/improve? Don't just think, comment!**

**All the feedback will be greatly appreciated. I do get motivated if I know that you are out there enjoying my work, so please tell me what you think. **

**I know this chapter might not be particularly exciting, but it's just an introduction. I'm getting down to writing the next one straight away!**

**Hope to hear from you guys!**


	2. Thunderstruck Expo

**I am really grateful to those who read the story so far and liked it. It's always good there's someone wanting more – it really motivates me. Here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy it!**

'Have you ever been to America before, James?' Tony asked cheerfully. The boy didn't feel like talking, but decided that if he were nice, maybe people would be kind in return. Not that he had ever experienced that in his life, but it was worth giving it a go.

'Yep. I came with my dad a couple of times. He wanted to show me how he does business overseas and meet a couple of people. But I didn't get much time to see anything, except from a couple of conference rooms and board meetings. ' He sighed. His father saw him as nothing more than just an heir to the family fortune and now the only person who seemed to be interested in what happened to him – his mother – was gone. Tony felt weird. As if he wasn't listening to a story of a kid from England, but his own.

'Well, you can catch up with that now, I'll show you around, take you to a couple of cool places. Fancy that?' he winked at James.

'Well, I don't want to be a problem, I know you've got work and everything…' James expected to be dumped in his room for the rest of the month and occasionally offered food, not a proper holiday abroad. Besides, his father told him, not to interrupt 'Anthony' – he was a businessman and needed to look after his reputation.

'Are you kidding me, buddy? You're a life saver. I'm drowning in paperwork, lectures, board meetings, phew. Anything that can be an excuse for leaving that will be great.' Tony put his glasses back on. James couldn't help, but stare at the man, unsure of what to do. He behaved like a sixth form student, not a successful businessman. 'So, would you like that?'

'Yes, yes, sure. That'd be...um, great. Thanks.' As soon as James finished speaking the driver coughed. Tony immediately directed his attention at him.

'If I may say so, Mr. Stark; I'm sure Miss Potts won't appreciate that sort of behavior. In fact, I think she will be rather…furious. To put it mildly. '

'Oh Happy, it's so adorable how you care about me. But for now, just don't worry and be…happy.' James and Tony both laughed, while the driver didn't seem to be too amused. But then, what was the point? That man would never change, would he?

The car pulled up on the driveway. A driveway? James wasn't sure, it seemed so, but it was the size of his father's entire parking. That was still nothing compared to the house: it looked as if it had been taken out of the Jetsons cartoon and put in Malibu, California. White walls, marble additions, loads of glass and curves. Beautiful, was the only thing that came to James's mind.

'Hi, you must be James!' the boy turned around to see a tall, red-haired woman heading towards him, waving a hand. Her hair was tied neatly in a ponytail and her suit was fitted so well, that James could distinguish every curve of her body.

'Yeah, that's me.' He outstretched his hand in greeting towards her.

'Virginia Potts. But just call me Pepper, as my friends do.'

'PEPPER!' their introduction was interrupted by Tony's loud yell.

'Friends?' he asked quietly, winking at the woman. She blushed, and ran straight towards the car.

'Tony, are you all right?' she sounded really worried. He was sitting inside the Rolls Royce, with a panicked look on his face. 'Tony, has something happened?' She put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to talk.

'I just realized…it's just…this boy had never had a proper American cheeseburger. 17 years! And he never ate a proper cheeseburger! Do something about it please. And then join us in the living room. Ok?' James couldn't believe his ears. He had heard that the man was eccentric, but he never expected such a thing to happen. He tried to object, not wanting to trouble Pepper with his lunch, but he was dragged away by Tony, who seemed to be very eager to show him around the house.

James was quite a bright boy, but he would never be able to comprehend, how one person, could need such a big house. Some five bedrooms, each of them with an en-suite bathroom, two kitchens, a huge living room – one upstairs, one downstairs and a gym.

When they were sitting in the living room, waiting for Pepper and Happy to come back with the cheeseburger, James's attention was drawn towards a row of electric guitars standing by the wall.

'Do you play?' the boy asked, hoping that he would find something in common with Tony.

'Nah. I wish I had time. The best I can do is just listen and enjoy. Do you, kid?'

'Well, when I'm at school yes, but when my dad is around, there isn't much time for that,' he said, regret filling his voice. 'I have to study and all that…' James did play, more importantly _could_ play. But as his father said, there were supposed to be no things interfering with his academic performance.

'I see. They've been standing there, idle, for ages. Never had time to use them, but feel free to practice. They're all yours.'

'Thanks,' James murmured, with a smile appearing on his lips. 'May I…' he pointed at a black and white instrument, that caught his attention, standing amongst others. Tony just nodded and gave the boy an encouraging smile.

James picked the instrument up. It felt great. Every time he held a guitar in his hands, he felt like he was the happiest person in the world. Music and maths – two things that made his existence bearable.

'Oh my God…that's the same model that Dave Murray was using. . awesome.' James sat down next to Tony and started tuning the guitar. Tony was just sitting next to him, anticipating what the boy had to offer.

Happy stopped right in front of the entrance to the house. Pepper got out of the car, with a huge bag filled with burgers and pushed the door. She was surprised to find, that the handle was actually shaking. Seconds later, she heard a sound of a guitar and…something which she would place between the sounds of wounded animal or a human being, dying. Has Tony gone mad and started experimenting on animals or worse, people? After all he had done, she wouldn't be surprised. She quickly ran towards the source of the sounds –Tony's workshop. The closer she got to the room, the shakier the floor got and the louder the sounds. She really didn't mind the guitar, but the moans really worried her. She opened the door and found the source of both: the guitar riffs and the screams. James was jumping up and down on the sofa, producing really good chord progression and clear sounds. Tony was standing on his desk, holding a microphone and yelling on top of his voice. Having stood in the doorway, staring for a while, Pepper muted all the equipment in the room. Tony immediately jumped off the desk and ran towards her.

'Pepper!' seconds later he was joined by James at her side.

'YOU'VE BEEN THUNDERSTRUCK!' having finished their performance, they exchanged a high five and a fist punch and stared at Pepper as if nothing had happened. She couldn't help giving a quiet laugh, seeing how well they've been getting on so far. Then Happy entered the room, with a gun in his hand.

'What's going on here? , are you okay? I heard some horrible, horrible sounds, as if someone was dying or something! What happened?'

'Tony was, ekhem… singing…' that was the only thing Pepper managed to spit out after she and James burst out laughing. She knew it was unprofessional, but there was no way she could stop herself. The expression on her boss' face was priceless. He looked as a child, who had just had his favorite toy stolen. The man snatched the bag with cheeseburgers from her hand and started climbing the stairs, leaving James, Pepper and now even Happy, trying to put themselves back together.

When they got back to the living room, Tony was sitting on the sofa, eating a cheeseburger with the TV on.

'Help yourself traitor,' he told James, pointing at the bag.

Tony was amused when the boy started apologizing, thinking that he really hurt his feelings when he was laughing back in the workshop. Surprisingly, James remained silent for the rest of the meal. Tony was hoping that he'd managed to break the ice and the boy would cheer up a bit, but he still seemed uncomfortable.

'You OK?' Tony murmured. 'How's the food? You've just experienced what the good ole' US of A taste like.'

'Good, thank you.' The boy murmured. Suddenly Pepper ran into the room with a terrified expression on her face. Tony pushed the bag with the burgers towards her, but this time she really didn't seem to be too keen on eating.

'No time for that,' she said angrily. 'Tony listen. You remember that bulletproof stand at the expo, don't you?', he nodded. 'The President was about to make an order, for you to put the same thing in the White House, you know: there are all those terrorists and madmen just waiting to shoot him from behind the corner.'

'Oh great! They finally understood what bulletproof means. That stuff they already have is so outdated. One little missile and up they go…' he seemed to be quite pleased with himself.

'Exactly. One of _your_ little missiles and your own thing goes up! The expo building is in pieces, it's a miracle no one died there!'

'WHAT?! We've run tests on it, it's impossible, it's just…' The expression on Tony's face hardened.

'Well, you can tell that to the shareholders. The value of our shares just plummeted by 27%.

Not to mention all the calls we got from the DoD and SHIELD.'

**Well, that's it! I'm sorry, but I just couldn't help the cliffhanger. And I hope that Tony pretending to be Bon Scott isn't too out of character, but as soon as I imagined him doing just that, I had to put it in (don't even ask how the idea came to my sick mind :P).**

**Please REVIEW. You feedback serves not only as motivation but I can also improve my writing ;) So please spare me a minute if you can!**


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